Conflict

At noon the next day, Kang Dabao and his two junior brothers drove their donkey cart to the Wondrous Cloud Pavilion.

At this hour, the Wondrous Cloud Pavilion was much like any ordinary restaurant, except that the air carried a stronger scent of powder and rouge.

The He Household alone lacked the means to establish such a business in Xuanwei City. Kang Dabao knew that several Foundation Establishment cultivators had set it up behind the scenes.

Most of those Foundation Establishment cultivators could not be bothered to manage it, and the flesh trade was hardly respectable to speak of. One of the shareholders had therefore appointed the He Household to act as their front.

He Degong came out of a private room with a smile and hurried over to the main hall. He bowed and said, "Greetings, elder brothers, and you too, Younger Brother Jiang."

After returning the greeting, Kang Dabao took a careful look at him. He reckoned it had been nearly twenty years since he had last seen this junior brother.

He Degong was about thirty and rather handsome, though his cultivation was not high, only at the Qi Refinement Fourth Layer.

Who would have thought that the little fatty from back then would grow into a handsome older man?

It was hard to describe just how dashing he was, but he had a certain resemblance to Duan Yu's nominal father.

Simply put, he had a sort of wicked, dangerous air about him? Plenty of girls had liked that type in Kang Dabao's previous life.

"We haven't seen each other in many years, elder brothers. I've missed you both terribly!" He Degong exclaimed, though it was hard to tell whether he meant it.

He first pulled Kang Dabao and Yuan Jin over to sit down, then exchanged a few polite courtesies with Jiang Qing before taking his own seat. Attentive household attendants brought them tea.

He Degong chatted with the three of them for quite a while about the supposedly superior tea before finally getting down to business.

"Younger Brother Jiang is one of the most gifted among us. My elder brother originally wanted to invite him to stand guard over several of our more important caravans.

"But I'm short of hands at the moment, so I took the liberty of inviting Younger Brother Jiang here instead. Still, there's no need to worry. His pay will be just as my elder brother and Younger Brother Jiang agreed. We certainly won't let one of our own suffer a loss."

He Degong spoke with a smile, then hurriedly sent the charming attendants to bring out all sorts of tasty sweet and savory snacks, putting on a thoroughly cordial manner.

"That's thoughtful of you, Brother He." Yuan Jin nodded. He knew the difference between the two assignments.

The caravans personally managed by the He Household's eldest son carried important goods, so the guards they hired were at least in Middle Qi Refinement. There were even some veteran cultivators in Late Qi Refinement.

The guards under He Degong, on the other hand, were a far more mixed lot. Even first- or second-layer Qi Refinement cultivators with a few moves could come here to earn a living.

When they were truly short of hands, even prospective cultivators like Duan Anle and Han Yundao could come along to make up the numbers.

Naturally, the treatment offered by the two could not be compared.

"So, Brother He, you usually travel through the western stretch of Cold Crow Mountain, along the route from the Wei Household's Worry-Free Market to the She Household's Ding'an Market and then the Xu Household's North Silver Market?"

Kang Dabao was so accustomed to running trade routes that he could work out most of it on his fingers.

"Sometimes we go through the southern stretch too. The Mi Household Stockade's chief is an old acquaintance of my elder brother. The He Household caravans can pass through without trouble as long as they pay the customary fee. As for the other small stockades, most are old friends of the He Household too, so you needn't worry, elder brother," He Degong added.

Kang Dabao had heard of this "Mi Household chief."

Word around the markets was that he commanded three hundred witch soldiers and had a strange Incantation Technique at his disposal. Though he had not been famous for long, his methods were truly formidable.

Some idle folk around the markets had even said that he could hold his own against an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, though there was no telling whether it was true.

Even so, both Kang Dabao and Yuan Jin felt considerably reassured by He Degong's words. Guarding a caravan had never been a peaceful job, and of course there was some exaggeration in what he had said.

But if the Mi Household Stockade could be taken out of the equation, the trade route through the southern stretch of Cold Crow Mountain would naturally be much safer.

As for fighting with the other minor powers, that was unavoidable. Otherwise, why would the He Household go to the trouble of keeping so many guards?

Jiang Qing, however, frowned inwardly. He had not come merely to earn Spirit Stones in peace. He also intended to fight the strongmen on the road. If everything went smoothly, what fun would there be in that?

At that moment, several more people came down from a private room on the second floor. Leading them was a stout, broad-eared Daoist with white eyebrows. His face was flushed, and his whole body reeked of wine.

Without looking at who was seated there, he casually cupped his fists at He Degong and called out, "Second boss."

He then sprawled into the empty seat beside He Degong and gave the attendant serving tea a pat on her ample backside. Seeing her frightened expression, he first let out a long laugh, then loudly ordered her to bring him tea.

So it's this lout. Kang Dabao found it amusing when he saw the flash of malice in He Degong's eyes.

No wonder the He Household's second son had wanted to borrow Little Sanzi. A guest had grown too powerful for his host. That explained it.

Kang Dabao knew the man who had come downstairs. He was a Rogue Cultivator who had also worked the trade routes, named Wang Daoqiong. His cultivation was not bad either; he had already reached the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining.

He simply had too little sense. After running trade routes for so many years and reaching his sixties or seventies, he had made who knew how many Spirit Stones, but he had certainly made a heap of enemies.

After muddling along for all those years, he had failed to make anything of himself and had only earned a reputation as a nuisance.

Kang Dabao had not seen him for several years and had never expected him to turn up here, earning his living with the He Household.

The man's abilities, however, were quite ordinary. Though he was also at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining, if he ran into someone like Niu Gui'er or Gu Laoliu, all the flesh on his body would probably be fed to the little ghosts in less than half a quarter of an hour.

He Degong forcibly swallowed his anger and introduced Wang Daoqiong to the three. The Daoist gave a perfunctory laugh by way of greeting the three brothers, leaving everyone displeased.

He really lives up to his reputation as a nuisance. Kang Dabao shook his head inwardly.

His arrival had spoiled everyone's mood for conversation, so they could only exchange a few lukewarm pleasantries.

"My mother has not seen you brothers for many years, but she often thinks of you."

"We younger ones are truly at fault for not paying Auntie a visit all these years. When your elder brother has some time another day, we will certainly call on her."

Kang Dabao knew perfectly well that his master's wife's younger sister was a snob. Even when his master was still alive, the two families had not seen much of each other.

Now that the Chongming Sect had fallen into such utter decline, how could she possibly still remember the three impoverished juniors?

Still, He Degong was clearly trying to draw the two families closer, so there was no reason to expose him.

But at times like this, there was always some lout who had to jump out and make his presence known.

"I was wondering why the boss would invite a greenhorn who's never seen blood into the caravan. So that's the connection. No wonder, then. But you should know that what we do is risk our lives."

Before Wang Daoqiong could finish, he felt a chill at his throat.

He looked closely and saw an azure blade hovering half a foot from his throat. Shock sent a numbness through his whole body, and not another word came out of his dog's mouth.

The sword at his throat was naturally Jiang Qing's Three-Turn Azure Edge Sword. Kang Dabao frowned at the sight. His third brother's temperament had not changed; sooner or later, someone would use him as a blade.

The move had also startled everyone present, especially the other guards under He Degong.

After all, Wang Daoqiong's cultivation was not weak, and the others generally treated him as their leader.

He usually behaved arrogantly even toward He Degong, the second boss. No one had expected him to fall so easily to this handsome young man.

It dealt his prestige quite a blow.

"Third Brother!" Yuan Jin frowned and scolded him. They would all be earning their living in the same caravan in the future, so why sour relations with him? Did he have eyes in the back of his head? How could he fear nothing?

"Oh, Fellow Daoist Wang spoke out of turn for a moment. Younger Brother Jiang, why go so far? Quickly, put it away," He Degong said, stepping forward to mediate even as he laughed inwardly.

Jiang Qing gave a cold snort, then beckoned the sword back into his sleeve.

"Hmph!" Unwilling to lose face, Wang Daoqiong forced out a snort of his own, though he was drenched in cold sweat.

"Wang, what are you snorting about?" Kang Dabao stood up then, startling everyone.

He Degong recalled that this elder brother of his had been as soft as dough as a child and had been very gentle to get along with. Had his nature changed after all these years apart?

"What do you mean by that, Sect Master Kang?"

For all the years Kang Dabao had spent running trade routes, he had earned no particular fearsome reputation. Moreover, no one knew what he had just done to the Four Ghosts of the Liu Household, so Wang Daoqiong was not particularly afraid of him.

"You've lived to this age and still don't know to watch yourself? Do I have to explain that disaster comes from the mouth? We brothers aren't vicious people, but we aren't easy to provoke either! It's not as though there's no one left alive in your North Mountain Hollow!"

Kang Dabao spoke fiercely. Everyone present understood what he meant.

Kang Dabao knew full well that the circles of low-level Rogue Cultivators had never been easy to navigate.

Now that Wang Daoqiong and the Chongming Sect had become enemies, bowing his head and backing down was out of the question. It would only make the other man think he was weak and easy to bully.

It was better to be more ruthless and make people afraid whenever they thought of him.

Wang Daoqiong fell silent after hearing him. He might not necessarily have been convinced by Jiang Qing's sword strike, since his own carelessness had played a part in it.

But he could not ignore Kang Dabao's words.

Even counting himself among the rare Qi Refining Realm cultivators who lived to a hundred and fifty, he was already buried to the waist in earth, with not many days left to live.

He had several thousand mortal relatives, but not a single cultivator among his descendants, nor any friends he could trust with his life.

Even if he did not fear Jiang Qing alone, he could not defeat all three brothers. The eldest of them, Kang Dabao, was not yet forty. How could he not be afraid?

Besides, he really had been the one to speak out of turn first.

Having thought it through, Wang Daoqiong straightforwardly gave Jiang Qing a deep bow. Jiang Qing returned it reluctantly, his face cold.

At least on the surface, the matter was over.

He Degong stepped forward and brought the two men together to shake hands and make peace. Then he saw Kang Dabao give him a meaningful look and knew at once that his little scheme had been seen through. He hurriedly turned away to arrange a reconciliation feast.

Kang Dabao turned to Yuan Jin and said, "This feud started because of the He Household's second son. Go give him a warning later and make sure he remembers it.

"His brother is formidable, but not so formidable that he can use us brothers as blades. Also, Wang Daoqiong has one foot in the grave and no one to back him up. Since we've offended him, we might as well see it through."

He had spoken obliquely, but after decades as fellow disciples, how could Yuan Jin fail to understand? He got up to find He Degong.

Kang Dabao, meanwhile, stood up with a smile and pulled the scowling Jiang Qing over to speak with Wang Daoqiong, looking for all the world as though he wanted the two to make up.

That made Wang Daoqiong feel much better. He thought that although Kang Dabao's fighting skills were mediocre, he was not a bad sort.